Husky Stadium Renovations To Result In Increase In Premium Seating

Premium seating to account for about 6% of seats at renovated Husky Stadium

The Univ. of Washington's $250M renovation of 90-year-old Husky Stadium will result in "new seating options, including approximately 25 suites, 25 loge boxes and 2,500 premium covered seats on the south side of the stadium," according to Katherine Long of the SEATTLE TIMES. Construction will begin in November, and plans call for the "entire lower bowl and south-side upper deck to be demolished and reconstructed." About 4,000 premium seats "will be built on the south side." UW Senior Associate AD for Development Jennifer Cohen said that approximately 6% of the stadium's seating "will be made up of premium seats, a percentage that's lower than the 10 percent figure at most other schools." But the premium seats "will account for $6 million annually in new revenue -- in effect, paying for a significant chunk of the $15 million the school must raise each year to pay off the stadium bonds that will be sold to finance the project." Long noted the school will "nearly double the amount of revenue it receives from ticket sales -- from $23 million in 2010 to a projected" $41M in '13. Premium seats "likely will come with a season price of about $3,000, and holders of those tickets may be allowed to purchase alcohol for the first time in Husky Stadium." A suite, "which would seat as many as 25 people, would be the most expensive option, costing between $35,000 and $75,000 per year and requiring a five- to 10-year commitment" (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/21).